ALL SAINTS, LAUGHTON, LINCS Laughton looks to be a typical North Lincolnshire village. The church looks typical as well – west tower, clerestoried and aisled nave, and chancel – at least until you cross the threshold. You realise that its [...]

Tom Sutcliffe yearns for a greater championing of British opera Peter Phillips, the musical entrepreneur who created and conducts the Tallis Scholars, says that he cares that opera, 'a form of entertainment that gives some people a lot of pleasure’, [...]

THE ROMANOVS 1613-1918 Simon Sebag Montefiore Weidenfeld & Nicolson,745pp, hbk ISBN 978 0297852667 £17 Next year’s centenary of the downfall of the Romanov dynasty will no doubt result in a large number of volumes concerned with that flawed and tragic [...]

Christopher Smith wonders whether we might all soon be in Dan Walker’s shoes How wonderful it is that we have arrived in Eastertide once more. Now we can tuck into those cup-cakes that we were given at the railway station [...]

Arthur Middleton Poetry is essentially for John Keble a relief to the poet – the utterance of feelings that struggle for expression, but which are too deep to be expressed perfectly in the prose of daily life. Feeling of any [...]

Arthur Middleton returns to Bishop William Beveridge Preparation for Holy Communion is not a high priority in the contemporary Church. Michael Ramsey expressed his concern about this in his essay on the Parish Communion in his Durham Essays and Addresses. [...]

Songs and silence Andy Hawes is Warden of Edenham Regional Retreat House St Augustine must have loved a good sing. It was he who described Christians as an ‘Easter people’ whose song is ‘Alleluia!’; and he encouraged those daunted by [...]

We are delighted that Bishop Tony Robinson, Chairman of the Council of Bishops of The Society, has contributed this month’s Editorial. I hope that all readers of New Directions have been inspired and renewed by the celebration of another Easter. [...]

DELACROIX AND THE RISE OF MODERN ART National Gallery until 22 May This show is an argument, and is ideal for people who go to art galleries to argue. The argument is that Delacroix – through his subjective use of [...]

Our chef shares his fondness for breast and shoulder As the joy of the Resurrection is proclaimed in church by the restoration of Alleluia to the Mass and Office, so too is the Paschal triumph made known at the table. [...]